GHANA DEEPENS TRADE & INVESTMENT TIES AT TICAD 9
The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has led the Ministry’s participation in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), engageing in a series of high-level activities to advance Ghana’s trade and investment agenda.
TICAD 9, held in Yokohama, Japan, from 20th to 22nd August 2025, served as a strategic platform for African leaders and Japanese leadership to strengthen partnerships in trade, investment, and sustainable development.
During the conference, the Minister held a strategic bilateral meeting with the Japanese State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hisayuki FUJII, where she highlighted Ghana’s flagship 24-Hour Economy initiative being spearheaded by President Mahama’s government with the country’s strong focus on agribusiness,
availability of litigation-free lands for commercial contract farming (Agro Parks) to boost agricultural production, exports, and Ghana’s budding automotive component manufacture.
The Sector Minister also underscored the importance of scaling up the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) Kaizen programme, which has proven highly beneficial in supporting small and medium enterprises, and called for expanded collaboration by way of incentives to maximize its impact.
The Hon. Minister also signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) which seeks to strengthen collaboration in Ghana’s automotive industry by promoting environmentally friendly vehicles, starting with Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), to support green mobility and carbon reduction through a multi-pathway approach.
The agreement also seeks to enhance human resource development through technical training, knowledge transfer, and a potential Toyota Academy, while exploring initiatives to further grow Ghana’s automotive market and industry.
Additionally, the Minister met with the top management of UNIDO including Ms. Fatou Haidara, Deputy to the Director General (UNIDO), to deliberate on issues concerning Ghana and the Organisation’s presence in the country, with discussions centered on deepening collaboration to support Ghana’s industrialization agenda.
As part of efforts to promote Ghana as a premier investment destination, Hon. Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, visited the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) booth, where she interacted with international businesses and investors exploring opportunities in Ghana.
Speaking on Ghana’s participation, the Minister emphasized, “TICAD 9 has provided Ghana with a vital platform to strengthen our partnerships, showcase our investment potential, and attract meaningful collaboration that will support our industrial transformation and private sector growth.”
Ghana’s active engagement at TICAD 9 reaffirms the country’s dedication to fostering stronger ties with Japan and the global community in pursuit of economic transformation and sustainable growth.
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